She Will Be Loved
by super hot female
Summary: Eighteen year old Manuela Santos finally thought she had gotten her life together, after having her daughter, Ashlee. But what happens when the "love of her life" appears at Graduation?
1. One

Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi, obviously. The song isn't mine either. "She Will Be Loved" is owned by Maroon 5, so don't sue me. Ahaha.

* * *

_beauty queen of only eighteen.__  
she had some trouble with herself.  
he was always there to help her.  
she always belonged to someone else.  
_

_  
  
_ Falling in love is something I never have been good at. Either I fell for a complete asshole, who only had one thing on his mind, or I would fall for someone who you would think is completly in love with you as much as you are with him, and he betrays you. Sure, he had a girlfriend, but you also went on a date with him before, and considering you never can quite get over your first love, you were just .. stuck. Stuck in a horrible love triangle that you can't escape, and you keep down-spirialing into deep, dark, bottomless hole.  
  
And then you end up pregnant at the age of fourteen.  
  
My name? Manuela Santos. I am now eighteen years old, living with my parents, siblings and my daughter in the city of Toronto, Canada. I'm a senior at Degrassi High, and believe it or not, I didn't drop out as soon as I had Ashley. (I named her after the girl her father had been dating when all this mess happend. Crazy, huh?) One, my parents wouldn't allow it, and two? Neither would my best friend, Emma Nelson. Emma's mother had been through the same ordeal as I'm going through when she was my age, and Spike was the person who convinced me not to get an abortion.   
  
Now, who's the lucky father, you ask? The one who should be beyond pleased with the thought of even having a child, coming over every single waking moment to see his lovely, beautiful daughter, not to mention atleast coming to see myself?   
  
He isn't around.  
  
I never heard a word from Craig Manning the minute that he graduated a year ago. Before that, he was rarely around to begin with, but he would always come over, to check on things, or to drop something off for Ashley. Other than that, he wouldn't dare to look at me. Not even in the eye. I guess it's true -- you can't always get what you want. I wanted Craig so much, and I guess I can understand why he won't look at me, yet alone look me in the eye.  
  
I ruined his life.  
  
He had a completly good relationship with Ashley Kerwin, and it made me so angry and jealous. I had to have him. Which is why I gave myself a complete make over, became out going, got distant with Emma and JT .. dated Sully, all those other guys. And that night at Paige's suprise birthday party, the club, in his garage .. I thought it was the most wonderful thing ever. Even though I never realized how Ashley would have felt, which I did when she found out about us, slapping him on stage at the winter pagent. I felt horrible, cried for hours, days, even.   
  
I cried as much that day as I did when I found out I was pregnant.

I remember I started feeling sick often around that time. I thought it was nerves, considering the fact Paige was breathing down my neck during Spirit Squad practice. But, it wasn't what I thought it was, and I ended up going to the doctor to check it out.

I was pregnant.

Craig had been unbelievably happy. Why, I will never understand, but he was. We had started going out around that time, which of course, I was happy about. After I told him he and I were a couple. I felt a tinge of guilt every time I would see Ashley giving me the glare of death, along with Paige Michalchuk and Ellie Nash. But did I care? At the time, no. I had gotten what I want, and I didn't care what anyone else thought about it. Craig was mine, and that was that.

It was cute, in a way, how excited he seemed to be. He went on and on about how Angela would have a baby sister (I tried to tell him that Ang would be an Aunt, but no go. He was too delirously happy to notice), checking baby books out of the libray, making sure I ate right. I remember Paige making some snide comment about if Craig and I used a condom, and I don't remember what it exactly was that I told her, but all I remember it seemed to be all over school the next day.

Thanks to Ashley, of course.

Craig had sat down next to me at lunch, with a carton of milk, and a baby book. He told me to close my eyes and pick out a name. Maude. I winced, horrifed with the name, but that wasn't the worse part. Ashley came over, said her few choice of words, told the whole cafetria that "these two idiots got pregnant", and continued to ridicule Craig.

I ran out, crying.

And then there was the couple days after that I told Emma I wanted to get an abortion. She flipped, like I thought she would, and stopped talking to me for a while. That same time I told my mom, and she cried, I cried, and I told her I wasn't going away like my cousin did when she was pregnant.

Craig didn't talk to me for a long time after I told him I might get an abortion.

And I was, until, I chickend out.

After Craig I never really had feelings for anyone. JT and I went out for a short period of time, went to the last dance of the year in grade nine, went on a couple of dates, but that was it. Liberty had teased me and said I let a 'good one' get away, and I always thought she was talking about Craig. It was kind of sad, in a way, that Liberty Van Zandt had a boyfriend and I didn't. Her and Towerz were cute together, I had to admit, even though I never heard the boy talk. Ever.

But, JT was always a possiblity. Not at the moment, but hey, whatever. Being eighteen and single parent doesn't really give you time to date.

Friday night was the night of the big party. All the Grade 12's had gotten together, at Toby's house, of all places, for the end of the year / graduation party. I could have gone, JT had asked me, but I turned him down. It's not like you can exactly go out on a date, let alone a party, having a three-year-old daughter. So, while everyone else in grade 12 was out a party, here I was, sitting in sweat pants and a baggy shirt, watching some PBS kids thing with Ash, and the phone rings. If it was JT, I was going to shoot him. I made a face, rolling my eyes, reaching over to grab the phone of the hook.

"Hello?" I asked in an annoyed tone, picking up Ashlee and setting in her lap, handing her one of the few oreo cookies that had been left from my pigging out, and wallowing in self-pity.

"Manny?"

I froze. I put the TV on mute, with protests and screaming from my daughter, who pouted once she noticed I was on the phone, hopping out of my lap and running into the kitchen.

"Craig?"


	2. Two

Ok! So. Yeah. Sorry for not posting for so long, I was enjoying my summer of FREEDOM! But since I start school on Monday, I figure I might as well update my fics before I get hurt for not doing so.. which means look out for chapter two of Confessions, and chapter four of 99 Problems. I swear I will update that one since so many of you have liked it!

And I apologize in advance that this chapter is so short. I have had writer's block for so long, it scares me. Once again, I do not own Degrassi, if I did I would be making out with Jake Epstein, Daniel Clark or Aubrey Graham, and "She Will Be Loved" is copywritten by the LOVELY Maroon 5. So read, review, give me ideas on how to continue, yada yada yada. Onto the fic!

* * *

_i drove for miles and miles, _

_and wound up at your door._

_i've had you so many times but somehow,_

_i want more._

* * *

"Manny? You still there?"

I thought about hanging up. To not say a word, and push the little "off" button, and that would be that. Or maybe just say he had the wrong number. But that wouldn't work, how many Manny Santos can there be in the world? I could always do what JT would do in Grade 9 when Liberty would call him, and scream "No habla English!" in a heavy Spanish accent and hang up. Sure, that's all I had to do. It was simple.

Damnit. No, it wasn't.

"Y-yeah. I'm here. Hi, Craig." I said, weakly, chewing on my bottom lip. Why was he able to make me feel this way? The whole nervous, sweaty palms, butterflies in stomach feeling he gave me that got me into this mess in the first place. This was not supposed to work this way.

"How are you doing?"

After not talking to you for a year, almost two, and leaving me with your daughter and the first time you call that's what you ask!? My mind was screaming at me, and I took a deep breathe, finally talking through my clenched teeth.

"I'm fine," I breathed. Yeah, fine. That worked. Not bad, not okay, not great, just .. fine.

"Well, that's good. How's my babygirl doing?"

"She is NOT your .." Take a deep breathe, Santos. "I don't want to sound .. err, bitchy, Craig, but why are you calling?"

"Well uh," he started, and I could see the confused face he always got when he had been yelled at, "Ang told me that you guys are graduating. You know, you, Emma, JT, Toby .. and I was coming down to see her and Joey as it is, so I was wondering if I could, uh .. stop by? See you and Ash? Well, not THAT Ash, I haven't seen her in a year, but Ash-Ash. My daughter. Err, your daughter. OUR daughter .."

He was rambling.

He was always cute when he rambled.

I cursed at myself, silently, for even thinking that. He left you to raise a kid by yourself. No calls, e-mails, letters, anything for a year, and now he just thinks he can call and everything would be okie-dokie. Typical Craig.

Typical, stupid, Craig.

"Manny? So can I?"

"Sure," I blurrted out, and then smacked my forehead, realizing what I had said.

"Really?" He chirped, the tone of his voice hopeful.

"Yeah, sure, why not." I had said, groaning to myself. I doubted him showing up, anyway. It wasn't possible. It's not like Craig Manning and his charm would get me under that spell of his it had once had.

Right? Right.

.. I need to stop lying to myself.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Emma started, staring at me as I set Ashlee down with Jack, and we started to make our way to her basement bedroom.

It was the day after the big party, and since I had known Emma wouldn't be picking up her phone that night anyway, I left her a message that was along the lines of "holy shit, Em." and said I would be coming over tomorrow to tell her about the little phone call I had gotten from a certain Craig Manning.

"Craig called you."

"Yes, Em." I said, sitting down on her bed.

"Craig Manning."

"Yeah, Emma."

"Craig Manning that got you pregnant in Grade 9 and dated you and Ashley Kerwin at the same time, Craig Manning."

"EMMA! Last time I checked, there are not that many guys we know named Craig." I said, raising my eyebrows at her.

She shrugged, waving a hand in the air and continued, "Well. What did he say?"

"He wants to come to graduation."

"Are you serious?" Emma asked, blinking. She looked as shocked as I had been.

"Yep. He said he's coming down here anyway, so he wanted to come see me. And Ashlee."

".. And you said, what, exactly?"

I cleared my throat, playing with the hem of my shirt. ".. I said yes."

"MANNY!" Emma shouted, causing me to jump, "You said YES!? He hasn't been around for a year! A YEAR! You didn't cuss him out? I would have cussed him out. I can't believe he just called and asked that. And you said yes. YES. I mean, I know you're not over him, exactly --"

"Hey. I am too."

"-- And I know he was your first real love, father of your child .."

"Emma. I am over him."

"And I KNOW you're still in love with him. I mean, you would have to be to let him come to graduation. Let alone see you or his daughter again."

"EMMA!" I groaned, and she stopped from her pacing to look at me, her eyebrows raised, "Listen to me, ok? I. am. over. Craig. Manning. Say it with me now. I, am ooooooover Craaaaaig."

"You sure about that?" She asked, a small smile playing on her lips, as she crossed her arms over her chest. And she gave me the LOOK. The look of "I know you are lying, fess up." that Emma had perfected oh-so well over the years.

".. No," I made a face, and sighed, burrying my face in one of the pillows she had on her bed.

"Thought so." She said, matter-of-factly, and I looked up to glare at her. She ignored me, and continued to pace around her room, a finger to her chin. "You know. You could always say you're with JT. Just to make him jealous. See what he's been miss--"

"No way."

"Why not! You did like JT once. Am I correct?" She questioned, stopping yet again to look at me.

"Yeah, but. He's so .." I started, trying to think of a word to describe JT Yorke.

"Cute?"

"No. Okay, maybe. But no."

"Funny?"

"I'll give him that, but no."

"Drop dead sexy?"

"Emma!" I burst into laughter, as did she. She grinned at me as I rolled my eyes, "That's not the word. Clingy? Yeah. Clingy. That sounds right."

"Just because he followed you around in grade 9 til you went out with him, does not make him cli--"

"Em, yes, it does."

"Ok. So it does. So we can get you a fake boyfriend. Just for the week, month, however long Craig will be here." She nodded her head.

"Since when are you into making plans to make Craig miserable?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"Since he left my best friend and my god-daughter without a word," Emma said, softly, giving me a look.

I let out a sigh. I hate when Emma's right. Which, of course, had to be often. Or all the time. Whatever.

".. All right, so what's this plan of your's?"

Emma gave me a bright, shiny, yet cheesy grin as she sat down on the bed beside me, wiggling her eyebrows. "I'm glad you asked."


End file.
